Lawry’s is a Landmark

Like most people who live here in Los Angeles, I do not go to Universal Studios or Disneyland unless friends from out of town are visiting me. Even when people from out of town come to visit, I will often chauffeur them to the tourist sites, but leave them there to enjoy the attraction without joining them.

There are a few attractions which are favored by tourists and locals alike, and Lawry’s The Prime Rib is one of them. Even though it is a favorite of several of my friends, I have never been there with any of them until this week. One of my friends goes to Lawry’s so often that she is a VIP Rewards member, so when she invited me to try it, I knew that it was time for me to try this landmark restaurant.

Being a fan of very rare beef, I was always skeptical of anyplace which caters to “medium rare” tastes, but my eating partner knows my preferences and has enough sense to know where I will be happy with my food.

Dinners all come with a salad, but you may chose to add or delete as many items as you would like from the selection. I got the salad of spinach, romaine and iceberg lettuce with the works of beets, egg, and croutons. The salad is normally served with their signature house dressing, but I chose their blue cheese. I liked the salad so much I even ate some croutons (which I never eat). Their service is impeccable, with chilled salad forks presented with the salad, which is tossed over a bowl of ice! Old world service and presentation at its finest.

Of course the main reason everyone comes here is the beef, and you have choices on the cut and sides as well as how well done you would like your meat. We both wanted our beef as rare as possible, so our wonderful waitress Christine “shopped” the carts to see who had the rarest beef for us. Christine, like several of the staff, has been working here for over two decades, so professional service is a forte here. My friend wanted the mashed potatoes and creamed corn ($6).

I added the asparagus with hollandaise sauce for $8.

All the beef comes with mashed potatoes, grated and whipped horseradish, and yorkshire pudding. The beef was the best quality, with a nice salted crust and a wonderful au jus. Even though it was not “bleu”, it was so tender, succulent, and nicely roasted that I ate half of my “Lawry’s Cut” portion ($39). I must commend all the Rose Bowl players who manage to eat their entire double thick “Beef Bowl Cut” portions because I would have burst if I had finished my “regular” portioned cut (even without adding a small thin chocolate wafer).

My secret surprise dessert was a special treat from my dining partner who had remembered my fond memories of CC Brown’s Ice Cream Parlor (it was an institution on Hollywood Boulevard before it closed). Lawry’s is the only place where they not only serve, but sell the famous hot fudge sauce from CC Brown’s! This wonderful hot fudge sundae bowl (enough for two or three to share for $8) brought back memories that are priceless.

Some places are famous for celebrity sightings, others for fabulous food, and a few rare places combine the two and become landmarks; Lawry’s is a landmark.